Venezuelan parliament OKs decree powers for president

[cali]

Source: AP

- The Venezuelan parliament has approved a law giving President Nicolas Maduro the power to legislate by decree for nine months in the face of what he describes as threats by the U.S. government.

The so-called "anti-imperialist" law passed on Sunday will be in effect from the time it is published in Venezuela's Official Gazette and until Dec. 31.

Maduro requested the expanded powers in response to new U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan officials accused of human rights violations. Government critics have referred to the move as a power grab.

The U.S. is targeting officials in the top echelon of Venezuela's security apparatus responsible for cracking down on last year's anti-government protests and for pursuing charges against opponents. The officials will be denied U.S. visas and have their U.S. assets frozen.

Read more: http://hhosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_VENEZUELA_US?SITE=MYPSP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-03-15-17-01-40

[MADem]

1. Again? Give him a shovel and let him dig deeper! nt

[hrmjustin]

2. Not a good idea to put too much power in his hands.

[7962]

3. And DU's Maduro fan club denied anything like this was coming

THIS is one of those times I like to say "We told you so". Although I would say the US administration should just stay quiet about anything VZ, so that Madman cant keep blaming the failures on the US. Let him fail without any comment, because he will
The downward spiral continues......as many of us have predicted

[forest444]

4. What an amateur.

He should called it the Patriot Act. Silly boy.

[ripcord]

5. Dear President Maduro

Barack Obama

[COLGATE4]

6. Any bets as to how long the "nine months" will actually last? nt

[blkmusclmachine]

7. Maduro didn't even need planes flying into buildings for this foul BS ...

[Tarheel_Dem]

8. Poll: Venezuelan President's Popularity Sinks to 22%

"His popularity has gone down a lot. He's at 22 percent approval. People are waiting for solutions,'' Datanalisis director Jose Antonio Gil told local TV station Globovision.

Recession-hit Venezuela has the worst economic performance of any major nation in the region, with widespread shortages of goods from milk to car parts and 64 percent annual inflation.

The plunge in global oil prices, with Venezuela's crude worth $47 a barrel now — half of what it was five months ago — has exacerbated the scenario. Maduro blames a U.S.-inspired "economic war" by political foes, but opposition leaders say 15 years of socialism are the cause.

Gil said 60 percent of people did not believe in Maduro's argument.

http://www.voanews.com/content/venezuela-maduro-approval-rating-lowest-point/2583540.html

I'll bet he's thanking Obama for the sanctions, or he should be, cuz he was sinking fast. He gets to play into nationalism even more than usual now.